The Good Woman of Athens

December has always been a remarkable month no matter how we spent the year. It is either we are rejoicing about how much we have achieved or how little we went in our journey. I understand that this assumption has a lot to do with our measurement of what success is and should look like. As much as I would like to start a motivation series on measuring success, I would rather use these 5 minutes of your time to tell you an uplifting story about human kindness. I am making three parts sanitystops to tell an important story of the kindness of strangers in this wayfarer's journey throughout the year.

Within this year alone, I have traveled to roughly 8 countries. I choose my scholarship in the EU because I love to travel and I love all the uncertainties of moving. But perhaps I was too na?ve and did not know it is not as easy as that. Whatever the case, I still will make the same choice given a second chance. So let me bore you with some beautiful travel tales and how I met the people who made my year. What is constant with all the journeys is that I hate to travel. I mean I hate the process of boarding a flight, getting in a car, a train, etc. I have had motion sickness all my life and nothing has changed. However, the thrill of getting to a new place and experiencing everything there is in this world to experience, not even motion sickness can take that from me. That said I would start with the first story.?

The Good woman of the Acropolis

?In March, I took a flight from Milan to Athens. Even though it was a 2 hours trip, by the time I went through the 101 bureaucratic steps of boarding a flight in Milan, I ended up googling “how to reduce flight headache” before I boarded. I was already tired and having the first onset of a migraine. I suffered from bouts of pain all through the journey and by the time I got to Athens, I could not wait to enter my Airbnb apartment.

My friend, Ope with whom we planned this journey had informed me earlier he’d be late to arrive because he missed his flight. That means he was not there to collect the keys to the apartment as we arranged. That left me to sort out the ugly details myself. I had a screenshotted note on my phone "Get to the door. Look to your left. check the first of the three safe lock boxes, put in the following code. Open and take the keys". On the 50-minute train ride to town, my phone was already dead, and my charger stopped working that morning. So, I quickly scribbled the details down on a piece of paper praying that the battery last enough to let Google Maps guide me home.

I was making the 100th attempt to open the safe an hour after arriving at the door. I’d asked strangers to help me try the door. But they were unwilling to try. Only one did, others hid under the guise of not understanding what I was saying. Well, I don’t know any Greek, So that makes total sense. I eventually found someone coming out from the building, he was not willing to help me open the safe but now I could access the entrance door.

The migraine came full force amidst the frustration. I was getting cold, and I was going to throw up. I was going to cry too. Poor big girl. I did the most reasonable thing I could think of. I went in search of my room. Got to the front of it, turn the opposite direction, and started knocking at the door praying someone lived there. I mean this is Europe. No one really answers you. Especially not at 9 pm?

I heard a dog bark from inside. Not a great sign but it showed someone was in there. I tried again. Na once person dey die. More barks and the door swung open. I was standing in the half-glare of a bearded man. “Sorry to bother you please fhkdksksjshv” He shut the door before I could finish talking, and just almost immediately came back with a lady. Before I could finish whatever I was saying, (because at this point I felt I had entered the hallucination stage.) she offered me in and gave me a seat. I explained that I needed help. Her partner checked the safe box outside while I was already falling really sick. Asking for water. Asking for painkillers, and asking to use their restroom because I was going to throw up any moment. The key was not in the safe. The cleaner didn’t drop it. By now I was so cold tired and sick that I started crying. I needed to sleep. (This is the climax of a migraine for me).?So they offered me their living room to lie down while they do everything else. Contact the house owner. Get them to bring my keys, opened the door of my apartment for me, took my things inside, and let their big dog comfort me.

The good woman threw in beautiful words here and there between perfect Greek and perfect courage to speak The English language that does not seem to be forming well despite her best efforts. She sat by my side as I was trying to catch a quick sleep “You’re a beautiful girl don’t feel lonely. Don’t be sad ok? Don’t be alone. You have all the time in the world to not be alone. Ok? You’re too young to be alone, ok?" I felt her good heart tug at mine. They were not the words I wanted to hear, but I felt them down to my spine.

I met her three days later. I was all bubbly. All happy. I have had a good tour of the Acropolis, had a taste of many traditional delicacies, and window-shopped at every flea market I could find. When we met, I ran to her and she gave me a warm hug. Because, well, I am Nigerian, and these things take time to get used to,?I unwittingly asked her to help me "thank her husband" She was confused, Ope gave me ‘that look’ and added quickly?“She was asking about your partner and meant that she is grateful for his kindness” while I covered my mouth realising what I just did. Na me marry them together?

Well…

I had so much fun staying in Athens. While there was so much memory I cherish from that journey. The second best of them has been the kindness of these strangers that welcomed me to their home in my most desperate moment.